Stringed musical instrument



arch 1, 1966 e. R. PETERSON, JR. ETAL 3,237,503

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed June 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR S GLEN R. PETERSON, J'R.

HENRY RUCKNER ATTORNEY March 1, 1966 G. R. PETERSON, JR., ETAL STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed June 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 1 PM hll IIIIII flllllullll Ill!!!" 4 22 1+ aw/mwi i- 71 7641159 2 L I) 1% q H 29 M I2 I I5 30 II n, Ill HI! {1. ill

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INVENTORS GLEN R. PETERSON,JR.

HENRY RUCKNER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,237,503 STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Glen R. Peterson, Jr., Summit, and Henry Ruckner, Jersey City, N.J., assignors to Oscar Schmidt-International, Inc., Jersey City, N J.

Filed June 17, 1963, Ser. No. 288,224 1 Claim. (Cl. 84-487) This invention relates to the aesthetic and more particularly to the development, teaching and enjoyment of music 'by both performers and the audience.

The invention is more particularly related to a stringed instrument of the type in which the strings are strummed to cause them to vibrate and in which chords are played by muting selected strings by the pressing of a chord bar having damping pads attached thereto onto the strings. This permits the performer to strum all or a portion of the strings but to selectively control which of the strings produce a sound.

Instruments of this general type heretofore have been played by placing the instrument on a support such as a table or on the lap and depressing the chord bars with the hand positioned over the chord bars on top of the instrument. Such instruments have not been adapted for holding and playing in the general manner employed with a guitar.

The guitar is especially adapted for group singing and due to its easy portability it may be carried with the performer and played in meetings or clubs, especially as an accompaniment to singing. However, a guitar requires frequent tuning of the strings and proficiency in the playing requires strength, dexterity and practice in controlling the effective length of the strings by depressing them at selected portions to produce the desired notes and chords.

In an instrument of the type under consideration the strings require tuning infrequently and a novice can easily select and play chords with a minimum of strength and dexterity and without practice.

Furthermore, since the strings which sound extend the full length of the frame, as opposed to selected strings being fretted by the fingers as in a guitar, the tones are uniformly clear, even though the performer is a novice. Furthermore, due to the number of strings employed, a range of tones is available exceeding that which may be played simultaneously on a guitar.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stringed instrument having chord bars for muting selected groups of strings and which may be held and played in the general manner of a guitar.

A further object is to provide a chord bar type of stringed instrument on which a multiplicity of chords may be played and the chord bars actuated from a side of the instrument by the fingers curling around the side of the instrument from the back, thereby permitting the instrument to be held and the strings stroked in the manner of a guitar.

A further object is the provision of a lightweight instrument having a wide range of notes selectively playable by the stroking of strings and in which selected notes may be muted by actuating a chord bar adjacent to the side of the instrument.

A further object is the provision of a novel, attractive, lightweight portable instrument which may be easily and immediately played by a novice and sounds pleasing to the audience produced.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of an instrument constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2, an illustration of the manner of holding and playing the invention;

FIG. 3, a rear plan view to a reduced scale;

FIG. 4, a section on the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5, a section similar to FIG. 4, illustrating the chord bar in depressed position;

FIG. 6, a view similar to FIG. 4 of a modification; and

FIG. 7, a section of the instrument of FIG. 6, illustrating a chord bar in depressed position.

Briefly stated, the invention includes a multistringed instrument adapted to be manually strummed and having chord bars mounted thereacross with spaced dampers for muting selected strings, and actuating levers for the chord bars which are operable by engaging portions thereof adjacent to the side of the instrument, the instrument being of light weight and adapted for easy portability and for producing high quality sound, even though played by a novice.

With further reference to the drawings, the instrument has a body 10 with side and end frame members 11, other inner frame members (not shown), a substantially fiat soundboard top or resonator member 12 and a soundboard bottom 13. The bottom has an opening 14 from which the sound waves resulting from string and body vibration may escape from within the body. The instrument is strung with a multiplicity of strings 15, the major portions of which lie in a common plane above and substantially parallel to the top resonator member 12. They are secured at the foot of the instrument to fixed pins 16, pass over a bridge 17 and are wound around adjustable tuning pins 18 at the opposite end or head of the instrument after passing over a bridge 19.

The instrument is relatively long and narrow in order that it may be conveniently held and played in the general manner of a guitar as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The strings are selected and tuned to various notes, the illustrated instrument having approximately two octaves with selected lower notes in the bass.

In order that the performer may stroke all or a portion of the strings together but permit only those forming selected chords to sound, there is provided a chord bar as sembly. The assembly includes left and right holders 20, 21, each of which has a back wall 22, end walls 23, and a top 24 forming an open side housing. Within the housing parallel spacing strips 25, extending at right angles to resonator member 12, are mounted to divide the space into that required by the selected number of chord bars, fifteen being illustrated, to maintain the chord bars uniformly spaced for free guided movement therein.

The details of a chord bar mechanism are illustrated more clearly in FIGS. 4-7. Each of the chord bar mechanisms includes a flat, relatively rigid chord bar 28 having flat and parallel upper and lower surfaces. Its ends are guidingly received in the holders 20, 21 and are resiliently spaced above the strings 15 and parallel to their plane by springs 29, 30 poistioned within the housings 20, 21 between the ends of the, chord bar and the upper surface of the body portion 12 of the instrument. The chord bar has attached to its under side dampers or felts 31 which are of selected lengths and so spaced as to engage and thereby mute certain strings. Hence, upon the depression of a chord bar so that the damper-s 31 engage the strings the undamped strings will be permitted to sound.

In order to effectively damp the strings .it is necessary that the dampers simultaneously and firmly engage the strings. In order to accomplish this it is necessary that the chord bar 28 be maintained parallel to the plane of the strings and be depressed by pressure applied substantially at its mid-point. If depression by force applied at a distance substantially away from its mid-point is attempted, the strings on the remote side from the depressing 3 force will not be firmly engaged by the dampers, with the result that undesirable sounding of such strings will occur if they are stroked or vibrated.

In order to press downwardly on the chord bar at substantially its mid-point and at the same time permit the operator to depress the chord bar from the side of the instrument, an actuating lever or presser bar 32 co-extensive in length with the chord bar is provided. A presser bar is provided for each chord bar and is movably and contactingly mounted directly above the chord bar within the side housings 21, 22. Each presser bar 32, as is clearly shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, is a rigid lever member of rectangular section throughout its length. Its top surface is flat throughout its entirety while the lower surface is flat and parallel thereto from its fulcrumed end in housing 20 to its mid-point 33 and from this point it slopes angularly upwardly to its opposite end thereby providing a second half portion of uniformly decreasing cross-sectional area, as clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Such tapering 34 causes the presser bar, when rocked downwardly about its fulcrumed end, as indicated in FIG. 5, to freely engage against the chord bar during such movement with pressure applied solely at the mid-point 33 at the moment when the chord bar is forced into contact with the strings, the mid-point location 33 thus constituting a camming surface.

Raised finger-engaging members 35 are mounted on the top of each of the presser bars adjacent to the right side of the instrument. These may be contiguous to the side or spaced slightly therefrom in staggered relation as indicated in FIG. 1 to facilitate playing of the instrument. Upon the depression of the finger-engaging member 35 the presser bar rocks downward at the right or tapered end, .its other end pressing upwardly against the top 24 of the holder 20 as its central portion 33 presses downwardly against the central portion of the chord bar 28. Upon release of the member 35 the springs 29, 30 raise the chord bar to the preceding position. A pad 36 is mounted beneath the top of the right holder 21 to engage the presser bar at the upper limit of its motion to avoid noise from its contacting the holder top.

An alternative apparatus is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. In this modification the presser bar 40 is of uniform thickness. At its central portion it is spaced from the chord bar 28 by a pad or block 41 mounted on the chord bar. Upon depression of the finger-engaging member 42 at one end of the member 40 the block 41 transmits force downwardly to the central part of the chord bar 28, thereby moving the chord bar downwardly as indicated in FIG. 7, the bar upon release being restored to the initial position by the springs at the ends of the chord bar.

The device is easy to play and due to its shape and light weight and the position of the chord bar actuating members at the side it may be held and strumrned in the general manner of a guitar and pleasing tones produced, even by a novice, thereby enabling one who is unskilled to participate in bringing music of high quality Within the reach of young and old, thus benefiting those who would participate as well as those who listen.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and there-fore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed is:

An elongated hollow body having a substantially fiat resonator member,

a plurality of parallel spaced strings of different pitch the major portions of which are in a plane parallel to and spaced relative to said flat resonator member,

an assembly of chord bars for selectively muting different ones of said strings comprising a pair of housings each mounted on said flat resonator member at opposite side of the instrument and abreast of each other intermediate the ends of said strings,

each of said housings having a top closure member and open on the side thereof facing each other across the instrument,

means in said housings forming aligned pairs of guide channels facing across the instrument with axes extending at right angles to said fiat resonator member,

a plurality of elongated rigid chord bars of constant rectangular section throughout their length extending transversely across said strings and in spaced parallel relation thereto,

the ends of each chord bar being mounted in an aligned pair of said channels of said housings for movement therein along said axes,

damping means on said chord bars in facing relation to said strings and adapted when moved against one or more strings to mute the same,

an operating lever for each of said chord bars and comprising a rigid bar having a flat upper surface extending throughout its length,

said operating lever being of substantially uniform crosssection throughout with parallel upper and lower sides extending from one of its ends to approximately the mid-point of its length with the lower surface sloping uniformly upwardly in the other half of the lever from said mid-point whereby said bottom side comprises two angularly related surfaces forming an angular cam at the juncture thereof,

each of said operating levers being mounted directly above each of said chord bars with its ends positioned within each of the respective housings,

finger-engaging means mounted on the upper surface of each of said levers at a point intermediate the length of said other half thereof,

spring means in each of said housing channels operative to act directly through and against said chord bars to yieldingly position the ends of the operating levers in direct contact with the top closure of each of said aligned housings whereby the bottom surface of said one-half of said operating lever is normally in contact with said chord bar to position the latter in parallel spaced relation to said strings so that when manual pressure is downwardly applied against said finger-engaging means to pivot said operating lever about its opposite fulcrum end Within one of said housings the said parallel lower side portion of the lever is initially movably thrust unrestrainedly against and along a relatively large contact area of the upper surface of the chord bar to initiate bodily movement of the chord bar and thereafter said angular cam means on said operating lever exerting substantially point contact against the chord bar at its mid-point during engagement of the muting means thereon with said strings.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,799,172 4/1931 Large 84-287 2,473,442 6/1949 Page 84-287 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,758 4/ 1895 Great Britain.

7,917 5/1897 Sweden.

0 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

